I drained the transmission yesterday and did an oil change. Going to put a fuel shutoff in the fuel line this week and drain the tank even though it does start and run good. I expect there is some 10 year old gas in there. Currently has a very old Autolite 216 going to upgrade it to a 437. Swapped the tines from my Horse as they were only a year old. The old man replaced the seals years ago so the hub is tight and dry.
As for the spring and block…i will look at it… but i have a ‘bush fix’ that i have used on my two tillers from time to time. I put a vice grip on the depth handle and then nestle the engage gear shift under it. Not the wisest thing but it works.
The old man also had some kind of contraption with a big V like blade that attaches underneath somehow. He said it shears the sod without tilling. He has Parkinsons bad so he doesnt exactly remember how it worked. He also had several furrowers.
Im super amazed at how this thing starts and runs better than my 1 year old honda mower.
Im going to try to make one good running tiller out of my 2 Briggs Horses and sell them. Im a Kohler guy now.
Over time, the spring loses tension which lets the lever flip up and disengage the drive belt. There are three ways to fix it. Replace the spring, re-bend the spring making it shorter, or drill a new hole in the metal plate on the lever to attach the spring. I favor drilling a new hole.